Be Aware of Malware Attack Through Your Email

28 May 2017

Read Time : 8 Mins

Hello friends. Since couple of weeks anonymous mail is coming to many users. Have you received any random email recently containing "Google Doc" attachment within it? If it comes then don’t click on that link - it could hack your data and may delete it immediately, even if it is from someone you know.

Recently an alarming phishing scam began spreading around the internet attempting to access Google accounts through an email embedded with a fake Google Docs file. Originally thought to be targeting only journalists, these malware emails were also slinging their way across unrelated mailboxes – from organizations to schools/campuses and even random people.

The malicious email contains what appears to be a link to a Google Doc file, saying that the person [sender] “has shared a document on Google Docs with you.” Once you click the link, you will be redirected to a legit Google.com page asking you to authorize "Google Docs" to access to your Gmail account. It says, “Google Docs would like to read, send and delete emails, as well access to your contacts.”

By the way real Google docs invitation links do not require your permission to access your Gmail account.

If you allow the access, the hackers would immediately get permission to manage your Gmail account with access to all your emails and contacts, without requiring your Gmail password. It also gains control over the webmail account, including the ability to read victims’ messages and send new ones on their behalf. Once the permissions to manage your email are granted, the software will immediately spam out the same message to all the people on your contacts list, even bypassing two-step authentication.

Although, Google has already started blacklisting various malicious apps being used in the active phishing campaign.

Ritam Dutta is an dedicated author of "Day On My Plate". He is an entrepreneur in mind and passionate blogger by heart. Moreover, he is also an academician, author, public speaker, investor, and internet personality.